Sunday, March 06, 2005

To say he was uncomfortable was an understatement. While Jake had been Tamsin's partner for a long time, both of them were careful to keep their private lives private. And now here he was searching every nook and cranny in her apartment. Most of the place had the look of a professional decorating job, but there were splashes of personality here and there. A couple of romance novels on the coffee table. Bunny slippers in her bedroom closet. A huge DVD collection, mostly tv shows. Jake definitely didn't know Tamsin was a Trekkie.

"Nothing in the bedroom or bathroom," Tamsin said joining Jake in the living room.

"So, who was better, Kirk or Picard?" Jake asked teasingly.

"Kirk, of course. He was a cowboy. Made his own rules."

"Like Crossfield, huh?"

"You think that's what it is?" Tamsin asked as she sank down into the sofa. "I'm drawn to guys like that?"

"With a dad like yours, it's not surprising you'd look for the exact opposite. You've got a couple of these out of order."

"There's nothing wrong with my dad,"

"Nothing a little personality couldn't cure. I think we found Crossfield's little present." Jake handed the dvd case to Tamsin.

"A note? ‘Fairfax 25794.' What do you think? Locker at a bus station?"

"Sounds that way. Let's check it out."

"Okay. Put this dvd back the way you found it."

"Gotcha."

They split up once they reached the station and set out to find the locker number 25794. Tamsin was the first to find it. Pulling out her set of lock picks, she needed only a few seconds to gain access. She opened the door and pulled out the padded envelope. She stuffed the envelope in her jacket pocket and met up with Jake.

"I got it. Let's go."

Later, they sat in the car in a parking lot of a shopping center, staring at the envelope.

"Well, let's see what Nick left for us," Tamsin said as she opened the envelope. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and a cd. Handing the cd to Jake, she read the note.

"Midnight. Tuesday. Eiffel Tower. You'll look great in the moonlight."

"Well, at least he isn't letting a little thing like nuclear weapons get in the way of a date," Jake said dryly.